Electrical house-wiring.



Patented Nov. 2|,I899.

E. T. GREENFIELD.

ELECTRICAL HOUSE WIRING.

(Application filed Mar. 29, 1899.)

(No' Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ELECTRICAL HOUSE-WlRlNG.

SFEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,457, dated N ber 1,8 9'. Application filed March 29,1899. Serial No. 710,919. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN T. GREENFIELD, a citizen of the United States,residing at New ork, in the borough of Manhattan, county and State ofNew York, have made a new and useful invention in ElectricalI-IouseJViring, of which the following is a specification. I Myinventionis directed especially to novel features in connection with the runningof electrical conductors through buildings and wherever systems ofelectrical illumination and power transmission are utilized; and itsobjects are, .first, to provide a system of house-wiring in which theelectrical conductors are protected by a metallic armor which isself-compensating for heat and cold, and therefore capable of beingrigidly secured to the walls or ceilings of a building or beneath thefloors thereof in such manner that the permanent fastenings thereforwill not be disturbed or moved by variations in temperature after theconductors have been put in place; second, to connect such armoredsystem of conductors with junction-boxes of such a structure that theentire system may be placed in a building and all of the conductors andtheir connections made easily accessible for the purpose of connectingthem to electrical translating devices, such as electric lamps, electricmotors, and kindred apparatus; third, to construct a system of armoredhouse-wiring and the connecting junctionboxes therefor in such mannerthat the entire system will be of a flexible nature, so that the armoredor protected conductors may be conveyed around corners and at variousangles, as the necessities of the case may require.

My invention will be fully understood by referring to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of two of my noveljunction-boxes interconnected by a flexible armored conduit, the top ofone of the junction-boxes being removed for the purpose of showing theinterior connections of the conductors and a portion of the other ofsaid junction-boxes being broken away for the same purpose. Fig. 2 is apart sectional and part side elevational view of the parts illustratedin Fig. 1, one of the junction-boxes being broken away for the purposeof showing the interior structure thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan Viewembodying two junction-boxes connected together with my novel form offlexible armored cable, this figure illustrating the flexible nature ofthe system by reason of the possibility of curving the cable.

In a prior application filed by me in the United States Patent Oflice onthe 12th day of December, 1898, bearing Serial No.698,973, I havedescribed and claimed a novel form of electrical conduit composed offlexible metallic strips wound spirally together, with ventopeningsbetween their engaging edges, the same being of such a nature that itconstitutes a flexible metallic armor for one or more inclosed insulatedconducting -wires, and in a prior patentgranted to meon the 27th day ofDecember, 1898, No. 616,612, I have described and claimed an armoredelectric cable having an armor composed of interlocking spirally-woundstrips. My present invention contemplates in house-wiring the use ofsuch flexible armored conduits and flexible armored cables in connectionwith means of support rigidly secured to the walls or ceilings or otherpoints of support where conductors are usually conveyed in the wiring ofbuildings and similar structures. A flexible conduit composed ofinterlocking armor-strips and a flexible cable provided with such aninterlocking armor is necessarily self-compensating for variations intemperature by reason of the spiral relations of the armor, so that whenthe same is secured at various points to rigid points of support therewill be no danger of the supporting means being disturbed by variationsin temperature, and in this feature lies one of the essential elementsof my present invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and first to Figs. 1 and 2, 0represents a flexible metallic conduit composed of two interlockingspirally-wound strips of metal a and a, the same being not substantiallydifferent from the invention disclosed in my prior application abovereferred to. BB represent a metallic junction-box made in two halves andsecured together by screws S S in lugs or cars L L in the separatehalves of said junction-box. E represents an insulatinglining ofwell-known form for the box, and i a non-conducting fuse-block, such asis well known in the art. 0 represents the lid or cover of thejunction-box secured to the upper half thereof by screws 5 L L representlugs or cars to the lower half B of the junction-box for securing it tothe wall, ceiling, or beneath the floor of a building or other point ofsupport. N N represent the half portions of interiorly-screw-threadednecks integral with the parts B and B, respectively, the pitch of saidscrew-threads when the parts are put together in the manner illustratedin Fig. 2 being such that said necks will receive and firmly secure thecorresponding spiral or screw-threaded enc s of the conduit C andsecurely hold the same in place. 0 represents an insulated cablecontaining any number of electrical conductors to wtwo being showntheends of said conductors being secured in the usual manner tocircuit-connectors in the upper surface of the fuse-block F. It will beappreciated, therefore, that in the wiring of a building with my novelself-compensating system the junction-boxes B B B B are secured atdesired points to the surface of the wall, ceiling, or beneath thefloors by screws in the lugs or cars L L or in any preferred manner andthe self-compensatingarmored conduit C, out in sections of the properlength, to be secured in the screw-threaded half-necks N N between thehalves B B of the junction-boxes.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated the flexible nature of my novel inventionby showing how a flexible armored cable, consisting of two electricalconductors u; w and insulation 1, with armor-strips a and a, may beconnected to fixed junction-boxes, like those already described inconnection with Fig. 2, it being apparent that the flexible andself-compensating nature of the armored cable will enable the builder orcontractor to put the system in any place where well-known forms ofrigid conduits and non-compensating conduits cannot be successfullyutilized.

I do not limit my invention to the especial details herein shown anddescribed, as many of the features hereinbefore described, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, may be materially departedfrom and still come within the scope of my claims hereinafter made. Toillustrate, I believe it is broadly new with me to provide one or moreelectrical conductors with a surrounding or incasing metallic armorwhich is of a selfcompensating nature and to attach the same rigidly topoints of support throughout a building, whether the same be junction-borres or other means of support, the novelty in this feature ofmy invention lying in the application of the broad principle of a systemof armored electrical conductors which are selfcompensating forvariations in temperature and in such manner that such variations willnot aifect or disturb their rigid supports. T

believe it is also broadly new with me to insame? case or surround aflexible cable or wire with spirally-wound armor-strips and to sustainor support the same at various points by twopart junction-boxes adaptedto be clamped together and by their clamping action about or around saidspirally-wound strips firmly hold or secure the armored conductor orconductors inclosed therein. The adjoining spirals of my novel form ofarmor constitute also, in effect, projections or protuberances on thesurface of the cable or conduit about which they are wound, and thethreads in the halfnecks of the junction-boxes constitute recesses withwhich said projections or protuberances engage, and I therefore desireto claim, broadly, a structure in which the parts are secured togetherby projections or protuberances on one part engaging with correspondingrecesses in the other part.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a system of electrical house-wiring one or more electricalconductors surrounded by a metallic armor, in combination with rigidmeans of support permanently secured to a wall, ceiling or othersurface, said metallic armor being self-compensating for variations inheat and cold, substantially as described.

2. In a system of electrical house-wiring one or more electricalconductors surrounded by a metallic armor attached at its opposite endsto electrical junction-boxes rigidly and permanently secured to pointsof support, as a wall or ceiling, said metallic armor beingselfcompensating for variations in heat and cold, substantially asdescribed.

In a system of electrical house-wiring one or more electrical conductorssurrounded by a flexible metallic armor attached at its opp0- site endsto permanent means of support rigidly secured to a wall, ceiling orother surface, said flexible metallic armor being self-compcnsatin g forvariations in heat and cold, substantially as described.

-.l-. In a system of electrical house-wiring one or more electricalconductors surrounded by a flexible metallic armor attached at itsopposite ends to electrical junction-boxes provided with means foradapting them to be rigidly secured to points of support, as a wall orcoiling, substantially as described.

5. A junction-box composed of two halves having each one or moreintegral half-necks screw-threaded interiorly and adapted,when puttogether, to constitute each a continuous screw-threaded support for aninleading armored conduit or cable, one half of said junction-box beingprovided with means for securing it to a wall, ceiling or other surface,sub stantially as described.

6. A junction-b 2; composed of two halves having each one or moreintegral half-necks screw-threaded on its inner side, in combinationwith means for securing the halves of the junction-boz together, onehalf of said junction-box being provided with means for securing it to awall, ceiling or other surface, substantially as described.

7. A junction-box composed of two halves having each one or morehalf-necks screwthreaded interiorly, in combination with means forsecurin g the halves of the j unctionbox together and a removable lidfor covering the entire box, the arrangement being such that when thetwo halves of the box are put together the two half-necks constituteascrewthreaded support for an inleading armored conduit or cable,substantially as described.

8. A junction-box composed of two halves provided each with aninteriorly screwthreaded half-neck and an insulating-lining, togetherwith a f use-block secured in the base of the lower half, a removablelid for the box, and means for securing the two halves of the boxtogether, in such manner that the two half-necks, when put together,constitute a single screwthreaded neck, substantially as described.

9. A junction-box composed of two halves having each a singlescrew-threaded half-neck and means for securing the lower half of thebox to a fixed point of support, together with a removable lid for thebox and means for securing the two halves thereof together,substantially as described.

10. In a system of electrical house-wiring one or more electricalconductors surrounded by a flexible metallic armor, in combination withtwo j unction-boxes composed each of two halves provided with half-necksand means for securing the ends of the flexible armored conduit or cablethereto, said junction-boxes being provided with means for securing themrigidly to a wall, ceiling or similar surface, substantially asdescribed.

11. In a system of electrical house-wiring one or more electricalconductors surrounded by a spirally-wound flexible metallic armor, incombination with two junction-boxes composed each of two halves providedwith half necks screw-threaded interiorly with threads having the samepitch as the spiral of the armor, together with means for securing saidhalf junction-boxes together and additional means for securing them to awall, ceiling or similar surface, substantially as described.

12. The combination of a flexible metallic armor or casing ofspirally-wound strips for electric cables or wires with a j unction-boxcomposed of two parts adapted to be clamped together around the same,and in such manner that the clamping action of the two-part junction-boxsecurely holds or sustains the armored cable or wire, substantially asdescribed.

13. The combination with a spirally-wound flexible metallic casing forelectric cables or wires, said casing having exterior protuberances onits surface, of a junction-box or other connecting socket, comprisingtwo parts adapted to be clamped together, and having means therefor,said parts having their clamping-surfaces formed with recesses to engagesaid protuberances.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 27th day ofMarch, 1899.

ED'WIN T. GREENFIELD.

Witnesses:

O. J. KINTNER, M. F. KEATING.

